One type of carrier used to package beverage bottles, particularly plastic bottles which are not in danger of breaking due to contact with an adjacent bottle, is a clip-type carrier. Bottle clip carriers include a support panel incorporating bottle neck openings through which the necks of the packaged bottles extend. So-called starburst tabs support the bottles when the carrier is lifted. These tabs, which are folded up from the support panel, surround the bottle neck openings and contact the underside of the flange or shoulder that projects out from the bottle neck. Clip-type carriers are quite economical, since they do not require a bottom panel and commonly have only partial side or end panels. In addition, they have ample strength to support the weight of the bottles without tearing.
Although bottle clip carriers are a desirable choice for many bottle packaging applications, they have been utilized primarily in the packaging of short neck bottles. Since the support tabs are formed from flaps extending from the support panel into the bottle neck openings, the height of the support tabs is limited by the diameter of the bottle neck openings. Because the diameter of the bottle neck openings is normally only slightly larger than the diameter of the bottle necks in order to have a tight fit, the possible length of the tabs has been such that they are able to reach only up to the flange on short neck bottles. With new designs of plastic bottles having longer necks, it would be highly desirable to be able to package long neck bottles in bottle clip carriers without sacrificing strength or the necessary tight fit between bottle and carrier.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a bottle clip carrier capable of snugly supporting long neck bottles.